International deal: Kremlin confirms: “Tiergarten murderer” is FSB agent

The Kremlin has directly confirmed for the first time that the “Tiergarten murderer” is an agent of the Russian domestic intelligence service FSB. Vadim Krasikov worked in the FSB’s “Alpha” unit, which specializes in anti-terrorist operations. “It is interesting that when he served in “Alpha,” he worked with some employees of the President’s Guard and Security Service,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russian news agencies. “Of course, they greeted each other yesterday when they saw each other,” he explained, referring to Krasikov and Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.

Putin gave the murderer, who was convicted in Germany, a big hug on Thursday evening after his arrival in Russia and said: “Nice.”

Russia had previously officially denied having anything to do with the man. Putin simply described him as a patriot who had eliminated a Russian enemy of the state in Berlin. However, the Turkish secret service MIT, which was largely responsible for the prisoner exchange on Thursday, had also previously made Krassikov’s FSB identity public. The German authorities also had no doubt that the contract killer was in Putin’s service.

Putin, himself a former FSB chief, received the released Russians, including Krassikov and a couple from Slovenia convicted of espionage, at Moscow airport with a red carpet and presidential guard. Putin, who was accompanied by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov and foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin, praised the steadfastness of the criminals convicted in the West and announced awards and a new “use” for them.